Scuderia Playteam SaraFree heads to the French round of the International GT Open season in a confident mood already in first and second positions in the championship with the Italian pair of Maceratesi-Montermini with 107 points and the Portuguese duo of Giao-Couceiro with 102 points.

In terms of competition the championship is more closely fought than ever with three teams separated by only six points as the championship enters its final third. The two Ferrari F430s of Scuderia Playteam SaraFree top the provisional standings but the Autorlando Porsche 997 of reigning champion Richard Lietz and Gianluca Roda is not far behind in third on 101 points.

Pedro Couceiro commented, " I have been many to Magny Cours many times, but I have never driven there in a GT car. It should not be a problem though.  My team has the most podiums so far this season and 102 points is not a bad result for my rookie season. I want to fight for the championship until the last race.  We need to work hard. The main problem is that we have only one point more than the Porsche and we are still five points behind Maceratesi-Montermini. In the end, the Championship is very close and very competitive."

Manuel Giao commented, "I always enjoy racing at Magny Cours. A lot of people aren't so keen on the circuit, particularly since it's way out in the French provinces. It's a beautiful area, but unfortunately there's no time to enjoy the scenery. On the sporting side too, Magny Cours is not a new track. I already raced at Magny Cours in 2006. Since then though, some modifications have changed the circuit. Overall it's quite a challenging circuit especially the two fast chicanes which are obscured from view and very narrow at the apex. It is a difficult circuit. At the Adelaide corner, some cars may have problems. Basically the track offers everything with a high-speed section as well as slow turns. Our 15-second handicap for the first race will make it very challenging for us."

Andrea Montermini commented, "It is so close behind us in the Championship. I am glad that we had a strong season behind us. But we need to simply keep being the best. In Italian they say "that it gets interesting when the game gets tough". We have everything we need to be perfect this weekend. I like Magny Cours because it has all the ingredients to please a skilled driver including  a very technical approach, which makes the set up and fine tuning very important. For example, through the high speed Estoril corner, it is hard to pass. Fast and slow at the same time, the circuit is fascinating. I would be very disappointed if we do not have a competitive weekend."

Michele Maceratesi commented, "I know the track from last year. We are leaders in the Championship and have only one goal, which is to keep the lead. It won't be easy with a 5-second penalty, but we will do our best."